h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sometimes lambs lose theirs and then they have to be bottle fed. Can you bottle feed a "for"?
*realises that he has been listening to the thread rather than reading it*

Another two rehearsals gone since my last post on this thread, but neither of them were particularly action-packed for me. They were both for the first half of Act Two. Theoretically this means that we'd begin with my big number, but we've been starting from the moment after the rapturous applause (and/or boos and s) have died down. I then have a brief and silly conversation, wander off stage, wait for a while while some of the others sing a few songs, wander back on stage, babble randomly twice and then disappear until the final scene (which we haven't done yet, though it does involve several of my silliest bits). So lots of sitting around.

We did have an interesting discussion about me potentially dressing up as a flying monkey from the Wizard of Oz and running across the stage in one scene, but sadly this isn't going to happen. And yesterday I had to pretend to be four people at once, which was rather .

Friday's rehearsal promises to have more for me to do - we're doing two of the bits where I stay on stage and do stuff, rather than wandering on and off in the space of a minute or two!

So what do you do to entertain yourself while everyone else is being shouted at by the director? This is where origami is good for me - it is a quiet, relatively unobtrusive hobby. Without that I'd spend most of my time reading a book, or washing-up the and in the room outside the rehearsal room.

Were you being four people because others had failed to turn up to the rehearsal, or because you were playing a possessed person?

At the moment, when I'm not needed, I either do the and and biscuits, or I just watch what's going on. I imagine I'll get bored of the same scenes over and over again eventually, and will need something else to do. I may read some of those classic books that I've never quite managed to get round to. I read 'The Woman in White' during rehearsals for 'The Beggar's Opera' and I think 'Hard Times' was another rehearsal read.

I was being four people, because three of the principals had been told they weren't needed. However, it turns out that they come on with me to babble incoherently a couple of times, so I had to babble, look indignant and march off for four people. I did get told off when I exited four times... I wanted to give a realistic impression of how much time the exit would take.

Speaking of being possessed, I have recently discovered sudoku.

I do love sudoku. I don't dare take one/some to rehearsal, though, as I'd get so engrossed that I'd fail to notice when I'm needed.

David - who wonders when 'The Sun Has Got His Hat On' will be choreographed

I have done sudoku in rehearsals, but not in recent months. The pleasure of solving them diminished.

I keep intending to get a copy of 'A Christmas Carol' and read the original plot I vaguely remember trying to read it when I was about 14, and giving up

Pimms

Do you have to do any dance exercises to warm up?

At the moment, no, though I'm a bit worried about the lack of warm-up exercises. The choreographer has been ill for a couple of weeks, though, so we've not been dancing at rehearsals, just acting and singing.

I haven't posted much about recent rehearsals as they've been fairly uneventful and I've been feeling a bit about my place in the group. I'm feeling like a bit of an outsider, and various people (e.g. the assistant director, who was also on the audition panel) keep forgetting my name.

Having said that, I did have fun on Tuesday when I had to read in for the cockney telegram boy who appears for a couple of minutes. It was most entertaining, but the director won't let me do it in the actual show - he says people would recognise me... And I baked biscuits for the half-way-through coffee break, which were greatly appreciated by all.

Next Tuesday's rehearsal should be a nice one. Just four of the main characters (the two leads, plus myself and my partner) and the director, working on our various scenes to improve the characterisation and what have you.

I know all my lines now, so am feeling very virtuous.

Two very intimate rehearsals this week, with the director and two or three other performers, working on specific scenes and giving them a nice polish. Tonight's was quite short and was held at a fellow cast member's house (for various reasons), which gave things a more relaxed, intimate feel. Our Bill (leading man) is doing fantastic work, he's really rather good indeed in my opinion. His dancing is coming on as well. Like me, he's rather worried about how many numbers remain unchoreographed, and he has much more reason to worry than I do! He does a lot more of the twinkle-toed stuff. Thank goodness!

It seems that the rehearsal I missed last week (the only one I will miss and it was for my mum's 60th birthday, which seems like a darned good excuse) was rather fraught, with friction developing between various parties and dissention rising among the chorus members. As I won't see the chorus until January, I shall be interested to see how the mood is when we get to that point...

So far I know of 40 people who've bought tickets to see me. Would anyone mind if I run around in panic for a bit?

Will it be filmed? *hoping not to cause more panic with this question*

Nope. You can film some amateur shows (with an additional fee to the people who own the rights) for cast/crew/archive purposes, but 'Me and My Girl' isn't one of them.

Less panic now, though last night was another sleepless night.

David, if I was close enough you can be assured I would happily buy a ticket to see you. Will we get still photos, then?

I expect I can arrange some photos.

Great. I'm looking forward to them.

I also look forward to seeing photos , as Canterbury is a little far for me to get to easily too (though not on the same scale as Hypatia)

Your rehearsals seem a bit disjointed. Principals don't attend ensemble rehearsals, only their own? Or is it that the ensemble are now taking a Xmas break?

When is it on again? Surely a bit early to be panicking () yet?

The show's not on until March, but I am very good at panicking. That's not a good thing, is it?

The principals do attend chorus/ensemble rehearsals, but only if we're also in whatever scenes they're doing. As I'm in most of the chorus scenes and songs, that means that I've been to most of them. There was no chorus rehearsal last week as many of them were doing a society Christmas concert (I wasn't!), so we won't see them again until January. The rehearsal schedule then is:

Tuesdays - Principals
Fridays - Ensemble + whatever principals are needed
Sundays - Dancers and principals for the main dance numbers

Then eventually it becomes 'everyone' for all three. At the moment, things feel a bit disjointed, so it isn't you imagination.

In our society we have a registrar who marks off who has attended at each rehearsal, with everyone asked to provide a commitment form before the auditions detailing when they are aware they will be unavailable until the show, and attendance expected at every other rehearsal unless informed they are not required.
At the AGM composite figures are provided as to which group (males/females principals/ensemble) has the best attendance record. Missing more than three rehearsals without having arranged for it (it is ok to miss rehearsals already notified on commitment form) is likely to earn a stiff rebuke if not lead to expulsion from the show . It makes everyone's job harder when there are gaps others have to work around. We have a high commitment/quality ethos we can take pride in. It is hard to 'just' go along for a bit of fun. When everyone is committed everyone can enjoy the hard work and the praise we get from audiences.
It might sound a bit fascistic, but it isn't really too overt, and certainly encourages cameraderie and feeling of everyone wroking together toward the goal of a cracking show.

That's supposed to happen with us, as well. I have seen little evidence of it so far. I've missed one rehearsal through choice (and told them at the first rehearsal that I wouldn't be there that night) and two because I wasn't needed. Some people have missed a lot more than that, without having informed in advance, which makes me a bit cross, as I'm making the effort (and would do so regardless of being chorus, principal, backstage or other).

The register is marked, but nothing seems to be done with the register. I'm new to the group, though, so maybe the inner workings will become clear after a while.

It is a tricky problem, striking the balance between making it fun and making it as professional as possible. Lean too far one way and you get a sloppy show, too far the other and some will drop out as it is too much like hard work, and not fun. Of course the frustration is that you can't do the work for the slackers no matter how hard you try yourself. It can be difficult to find a society where the general level of commitment matches our own.

with the tapdancing (I'm sure you are working hard on it ), on being appointed a curator. I wasn't approached, but then I've never been a sub, and gave up being a scout because I couldn't commit the time I thought it needed. I'll make do with continuing to make sporadic suggestions to Editorial Feedback as and when I spot them